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Thursday, June 1, 2017

Ray Wylie Hubbard at Hill Country Barbecue Market

Ray Wylie Hubbard
was born in Soper, Oklahoma, but at age eight moved with his family to Dallas,
Texas. While in college in Denton, Texas, he spent the summers playing folk
music in Red River, New Mexico. During his time in New Mexico, Hubbard wrote
"Up Against the Wall, Redneck Mother," covered by Jerry Jeff Walker in 1973. The success
of the song led Hubbard to launch a solo career that has attracted a small but steady
following for the past 44 years. His 16th studio album, Tell The Devil I’m Getting There As Fast As I Can, will be released
on August 18, 2017. Hubbard is currently based out of Wimberly, Texas.

Normally, Ray Wylie Hubbard tours with a backing trio
featuring his son Lucas on guitar. On the current tour, which began tonight at Hill Country Barbecue Market, Hubbard
is touring with only his drummer, Kyle
Schneider. As a result, his concert emphasized a fascinating guitar style that
compensated for the lack of band support. Hubbard thumbed the top string,
usually an open E, and used his forefingers to pick the lower strings. While
that might sound like standard finger picking, it was not. Hubbard's bass lines
were thick and often hauntingly monotonous, while his melody lines were sparse
and swampy, recalling Creedence
Clearwater Revival. This undercurrent magnified Hubbard's gritty, muscular
voice and his signature sardonic and whimsical outlaw country lyrics with their
rowdy sing-along choruses. At age 70, Hubbard may not be blazing new trails,
but he remains among the best of the remaining outlaw country writers and performers.